Rolex Oyster Perpetual Bombe 14ct Ref.1011 1963

Rolex

Founded in 1905 in England by Hans Wilsdorf and Alfred Davis as Wilsdorf & Davis, the partnership became known as the Rolex Watch Company in 1915, and moved to its new Geneva headquarters in 1919. The success of the wristwatch can be largely attributed to many of Rolex’s innovations which made the company one of the most respected and well-known of all luxury brands. These have included its famous “Oyster” case — the world’s first water-resistant and dustproof watch case, invented in 1926 — and its “Perpetual” — the world’s first reliable, self-winding movement for the wristwatch, launched in 1933. These would form the foundation for Rolex’s Oyster Perpetual collection which included the Datejust and Day-Date, respectively introduced in 1945 and 1956. Also and equally importantly, Rolex is known for its sports watches, such as the Explorer, Submariner and GMT-Master launched in the mid-1950s.

Description

Of all the 1960s vintage Rolex Oyster Perpetual dress watches, the Bombé model is easily the most elegant. The beautiful bombé sculptured lugs case with a fluted bezel and early 1960s, fully original dial is a simply wonderful combination and one which always delights us.

This example is the rare Rolex model ref.1011 Oyster Perpetual ‘Bombé’ in 14ct yellow gold. A particular feature of this watch is its most beautifully elegant, completely original, unrestored and untouched silver dial. This carries the original gilt ‘stick’ hands which are paired with wonderful early ‘baton’ hour indices.

Another incredible addition with this watch is the original purchase receipt and original Rolex Chronometer certificate, making this watch extremely rare.

This is easily one of the most attractive gentleman’s Rolex automatic dress watches of the period. This example has seen extremely light use and is in mint condition. Its rarity, beauty and condition mean this Rolex is a very special timepiece indeed!

The Dial

This original dial is the forerunner of the most iconic Rolex designs and in essence, carries through to this day. Here, it looks stunning in silver against the yellow gold case. The dial carries its original unrestored Rolex 1960s ‘stick’ hands and applied ‘baton’ hour indices with, of course, the Rolex Coronet at the very top of the dial.

This beautiful dial, as mentioned above, is completely original, unrestored and untouched and shows some beautiful signs of ageing in the very gentle spotting evenly across the dial.

The dial is signed ‘Rolex Oyster Perpetual’, ‘Superlative Chronometer Officially Certified’ along with ‘Swiss’ at the very bottom of the dial.

As this dial is in original, unrestored condition, this has been left untouched by our restoration team due to its superb condition. Usually, we restore the dials of the watches we sell, however we decided in this case to leave it alone, due to its unusually good condition and to retain its originality and charm for those who prefer this. It also helps to contrast with almost all of the other watch dials you see on our website, which have been restored. The hands, likewise, have also been left in their original untouched condition.

Please note, studio lights, professional-grade digital cameras, and macro lenses can be very unkind to an unrestored vintage watch dial. Also the dial here measures less than 1.25 inches across, so the image you’re seeing may be between 5 – 25 times larger than the watch itself. Therefore please keep in mind you are seeing many tiny flaws which cannot be seen, or will be very hard to see with the naked eye, even under close examination. Suffice to say, on the wrist, in natural light, this dial looks much better and carries a great deal more charm than the photographs portray.

The Movement

The watch carries its original very high grade ‘Superlative Chronometer’ Calibre 1560, 25 Jewel automatic movement which is in sparklingly clean condition. The movement has been fully overhauled and serviced by our watchmaker which means it has been fully dismantled to all its component parts before ultrasonic cleaning, microscope inspection and replacement of parts with new originals where required. Then careful reassembly and oiling ready for final testing and calibration. The watch is now running perfectly having been calibrated and timed at +8 seconds per day, which is truly outstanding for any watch of this age. It has a 44 hour power reserve when fully wound and is ready for many more years of reliable service.

These Chronometer grade movements are very strong, very accurate and very reliable making this watch perfectly suitable for evening wear and everyday use. This particular movement is in superb A1 condition and with regular servicing, every 3 – 4 years, we would fully expect this watch to run happily for many more years to come! We are pleased to offer a 12 month warranty on this watch movement*.

The movement is correctly signed ‘Montres Rolex SA Geneva Swiss’, and ‘Twenty Five Jewels’ with the Calibre number 1560 and the reference number 90734.

*Please note – our 12 month warranty is only applicable if the list price is paid.

The Watch Case

Again, very special in having the most desirable Bombé sculptured lugs, also often referred to as ‘Bombay’ lugs. This removes the block angles of the Oyster case and replaces these with the much softer and more fluid lines of the Bombé dress watch design. Compared side by side with the usual Oyster case, this looks far more classy and once you know the difference, there is no going back!  This watch also carries the infinitely more subtle and charming fluted bezel. The case measures 34mm, excluding the correct Rolex Oyster screw down crown.

These are rare watches, so if you see one and you like it, we recommend you grab it because they are highly sought after and prices are climbing!

After careful examination, this lightly used example only required some professional cleaning and very careful gentle hand-polishing to bring its solid 14ct yellow gold case back to showroom condition. The case is showing hardly any signs of wear and even with careful examination under high magnification, we struggled to find any scratches, dings, damage or signs of overpolishing. The screw-back case-back has a new rubber seal and this is also in “as new’ condition. It is high polished, of full thickness, and has never been engraved.

Inside the case-back, all is as expected and signed MONTRES ROLEX SA, GENEVA SWISS, PATENTED with the Rolex model number 1011, along with the correct hallmarks for Geneva and 14ct 0.585 gold. On the outside of the case, the model number 1011 is also found between the lugs at 12, while case serial number 933490 can be clearly seen between the lugs at ‘6’. This dates this watch correctly to 1963.

At 34mm in diameter, excluding the Rolex screwdown crown, this is a relatively large watch for the period.

Please note, although the waterproof seals have been replaced and this watch was originally specified as waterproof when new, this has not been tested and it is not guaranteed.

As always, our standard advice applies: vintage watches should be kept clean and dry at all times.

The Strap & Buckle

A high quality brown Morellato leather strap has been fitted, along with a gold-plated Rolex buckle. However, if a different colour or style of strap is preferred, please let us know and we will do our best to oblige free of charge. We carry tan, conker, dark brown and black in stock in plain padded leather, crocodile skin or lizard skin. We can also obtain most types and colours from our partners at ‘Watch Obsession’ within 48hrs. Please take a look at their huge range of straps if you wish here.

The Box and Papers

This watch comes complete with the original purchase receipt and chronometer certificate, dating this watch correctly to 1963

Detailed particulars will be included with our purchase receipt for your interest and security. A separate insurance valuation for the replacement value of this watch will also be provided at the time of sale along with our unique ‘Lifetime Authenticity Guarantee’ which states: “If this watch proves to be anything less than 100% genuine, authentic and original, a full refund will be given at any time”.

The watch comes complete with a Rolex Oyster Perpetual presentation box, as shown in the photographs.

Payment and Delivery

If you would like to pay by bank transfer, we will be pleased to assist you with this. Similarly, if you wish to pay by International SWIFT or Bank Wire Transfer we will provide you with our BIC / Swift number and our IBAN number.

Please check the import duties and any taxes your government may apply, these are different for each country and, unfortunately, out of our control.

We understand there may be some ‘loopholes’ that may help you avoid these charges; however, attempting to use these could impact our ongoing ability to serve our growing international customer base.

For those who happen to visit London on occasion, we are, of course, more than happy to store your watch until we can meet you in our offices in Kensington, London, and hand your watch directly to you there.

As with all our watches, this watch will be sold under our 14 days no-quibble sale or return policy.

In Conclusion

This is a truly first class example of a yellow gold 1963 vintage Rolex Oyster Perpetual, which is ready to wear and completely practical for everyday use. If treated with care, it will make an excellent investment and heirloom piece. Even though vintage Rolex prices have risen markedly of late, we still feel first class examples such as this remain undervalued. And as each year goes by and the world market for vintage Rolex watches continues to expand, prices will inevitably climb ever higher.

To summarise, this is a highly collectable vintage watch from horology’s most famous name, which is ready to wear, use, treasure and enjoy. It will provide excellent reliability and a sound financial investment as long lasting as the watch itself.

A word on our prices – We always try our hardest to acquire the very highest quality watches we can find, before restoring them to the highest possible standards. We then offer these at the fairest prices we can, taking into account our pre and post-sales care and service. This approach means we will never be the cheapest, but nor will we be the most expensive. Indeed there are some well-known stores in West London which are highly successful charging between two to three times the price you see here. We, therefore, consider our prices to be fair, given the quality of watches we have to offer.

Please note, we also welcome part exchanges. If you have a watch or a small collection for sale, please contact us as we will be happy to discuss this.

We will also be happy to Service your watch, Repair your watch or Restore your watch, all at ‘sensible’ prices. Please see here.

If you have any questions please call us on 020 7727 7095 or if calling from overseas on +44 207 727 7095.

Please take a look at our other fine vintage gold watches.

Thank you.